The Tunkhannock Area School District Board of School Directors will hold a Virtual Public Work Session/Board Meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 7:30 pm. 

Due to the number of attendees at this Virtual Public Work Session/Board Meeting, all attendees will be muted with the exception of the School Board Members and Superintendent.  The public will have the opportunity to provide public comment during the Virtual Public Work Session/School Board Meeting.

Parents:

In the next several days TASD teachers will be positioning themselves to provide additional learning activities for the purpose of review and enrichment in the event of extended school closure. Students will have the opportunity to participate in activities online, or the district will provide a paper and pencil option. It is the reality of living in northeastern Pennsylvania that internet access varies by location. And, while we are willing to help you access available services, internet providers may not have the capacity to do so.

Similar to the work sent home between March 16, 2020 to March 27, 2020, participation in these learning activities cannot be required by TASD. It can be required by you, however. I would encourage you to make every effort to establish a routine that involves engaging your child in learning every day. Our hope is to make it easier for you to do that by providing a digital platform or print materials that review and enrich recent content.

Online Options
Parents who do not have a device for their student to use at home such as a desk top or a laptop should email: needchromebook@tasd.net.
Parents who do not have internet service should also email needchromebook@tasd.net.

Indicate the name of your child, his/her grade level, home address and your phone number. Also indicate if you need our help accessing internet service. You may also call 836-3111, ext. 1020, and provide the same information.

A device will be provided for your child. We will notify you soon how we plan to distribute these devices.

Paper and Pencil Option
Parents who would prefer paper and pencil materials should email: preferpaper@tasd.net
Please indicate your child’s name, grade level, address and phone number.

You may also call 836-3111, ext. 1001.

One additional note:
We have never attempted this before. There are many unanswered questions and a great deal of uncertainty. There will be glitches at the start, and we will work through them. I will communicate plans and timelines as they become available. Wyoming County poses some unique challenges but we need to get started. We have a talented and dedicated team of teachers and administrators working hard to help you support your children under these difficult circumstances. We ask for your support, as well. Encourage your children to participate, accept that we cannot duplicate all the advantages that our classrooms have to offer, and refrain from negativity. Like you, we are doing our best.

Stay safe,

Heather McPherson
Superintendent

Parents:

The links below provide information on talking with your children about the coronavirus.  We hope that you will find these resources helpful and that they will help you navigate some of the questions that kids will naturally have.  I encourage you to seek out reliable information and follow the CDC recommendations for handwashing and social distancing. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html

https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource?fbclid=IwAR3xTkTE-iQe7DuZyrzmWQ0Ec3V89GsQTNfhDoTK98bKo6iQd__15yR3-FQ

I will continue to keep you posted as information is made available to us.  Until then, be safe and vigilant in your efforts to keep your family well.

Heather

Parents:
There was a brief posting on Facebook today by a well-meaning individual regarding food distribution in Wyoming County. This information appears to have originated in Wyoming County, West Virginia.

At this time, food distribution strategies for TASD are in the works, but incomplete. We will communicate our plan early next week. Thank you.

Heather

Parents:

Supplemental work sent home with students due to school closure is not mandatory in nature. The intent was to provide learning activities that reviewed or extended recently taught content. It will not be reflected in student grades as there is no equitable way to provide instruction. We ask parents to encourage students to complete the work they are able to do as it may help them to maintain a routine of learning and engagement. I apologize for the confusion.

Heather McPherson

Parents:

The Tunkhannock Area School District will close for a minimum of ten days beginning on Monday, March 16.  The campus will be closed as of 9PM this evening.  All activities, practices, events and scheduled meetings for this weekend and next two weeks have been postponed.  Building nurses will be in attendance on Monday, March 16 between 10am and 11am for any parent needing to pick up medication. 

Students are being sent home with enough learning activities to stimulate their thinking for up to ten days.  This is not intended to take the place of regular instruction, rather it has been provided because we want to encourage kids to interact with materials that sustain the practice of learning.

Please check for updates next week.  This is a rapidly developing situation and we are doing our best to monitor and respond appropriately.  We will continue to follow CDC and DOH guidelines and encourage you to do so, as well.  

https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/governor-wolf-announces-closure-of-pennsylvania-schools/

Heather McPherson

Superintendent 

Letter to Parents :

In an effort to stay ahead of concerns about the Coronavirus, Tunkhannock Area School District convened a meeting on Wednesday, March 4 with numerous community partners, including the PA Department of Health, Tyler Memorial Hospital, representatives from Wyoming County Human Services and the Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency.  The purpose of our meeting was to gather insight and expertise on health and safety measures that can help us keep our staff and students well.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.  Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.  Parents can be proactive in helping to keep all children safe by keeping their own children home from school if they are demonstrating these symptoms. In the event of widespread absenteeism, the district will modify its attendance policy to accommodate students who need to be home.

In our buildings, some of the steps that we have taken include reminders about handwashing, coughing and sneezing.  Our custodial team has amped up its sanitation of frequently touched surfaces, and they will continue to supply our classrooms with soap, tissues and hand sanitizer.  Our school nurses are in the process of training our teachers, staff and coaches protocols that will help keep our classrooms and facilities less hospitable to bacteria and viruses, in general.  We will also develop a process for identifying kids who present symptoms and getting them to the nurse quickly for evaluation.  And, with the help of our community partners, TASD has updated our Pandemic Response Plan which can be found on our website at www.tasd.net.

Information about household readiness can also be found at our website and our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TASD2019.  We encourage parents to visit the PA Department of Health website, https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx and the Center for Disease Control website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

We will be vigilant about prevention and proactive in our preparation.  Communication will be a cornerstone of our efforts, so I encourage you to reach out to your child’s school nurse with any health-related questions.  My personal extension is 1000, and my email address is heather.mcpherson@tasd.net.  Please call me if you have any questions related to process or procedure.

Our success in limiting risk in our schools depends upon communication, planning and community engagement in prevention measures.  Let’s work together to follow the CDC recommendations that help us avoid all infections.  We can all play a part in keeping our kids and ourselves healthy.

Now, everybody go wash your hands.

Get your household ready for Covid-19

Heather McPherson

Superintendent

Tunkhannock Area School District

2020 PSSA Testing

ELA- 4/21, 4/22, 4/23

Makeups: 4/24, 4/27

MATH- 4/28, 4/29

SCIENCE (4th & 8th only)- 4/30, 5/1

Makeups: 4/30, 5/1, 5/5, 5/6

2019 - 2020 Keystone Exam Windows

Winter Wave 1   December 2 - December 13

Winter Wave 2 January 1 - January 17

Spring Wave May 11 - May 22